History of The Sunderland Referees Association

Most kids dream of walking out onto the pitch of a crowded football stadium , wearing their teams colours and hearing the roar of the crowd!

...but how many imagine themselves as one of the officials rather than a player?

They might be rudely referred to in many quarters of the terraces as “ the b*****d in the black” , but referees play a vital role as mediator , from Premier league clashes to kids football.

They are easy to blame for a controversial decisions that can affect the outcome of the match but without them the beautiful game would not be possible.

The Sunderland Referees Association (SRA) , which began in 1906 , was started up to help ensure the welfare and education of all its members.

The SRA know only to well how hard it is to produce a top quality referee and they are hoping to get potential candidates to start as young as possible.

Ken Barker, from Fulwell, is the current vice chairman of the SRA and has been a referee himself for an incredible 46 years. He has been a member of the organisation since 1962.

He said “The SRA is there to promote the welfare of referees and most importantly when you subscribe you get referee insurance cover which you need”.

“We also work with the Durham FA who have taken over the running of referee courses”.

To take part in a referee’s course you must be at least 14 years old. Following the course , candidates need to referee six 11-a-side matches and afterwards they are presented their FA and County FA certificates.

SRA chairman Geoff Eltringham who is an active Football League assistant referee is excited by the way the SRA is going.

He said “We have a good mix of both experienced & newly qualified referees turning up for our meetings , quite a few younger referees are now members and the feed back has been very good , we have a very busy 2008/09 programme lined up for our meetings with some high profile guest speakers coming along”.

The SRA is currently setting up a advice and guidance programme in which more experienced members of the association will pair up with a newly qualified & younger members and help them through any on and off field difficulties they may encounter.

Geoff continues “ We have a wealth of experienced referees attending our meetings who are willing to go along and watch our younger members referee , hopefully passing on vital advice & tips that is needed in a referees infant years.

It has been 32 years since SRA has had a member that referees on the Football league (George Tyson), although they have several Football league assistants & Football conference referees.

It’s commonly thought that the reason people become referees is because they were not very good at football itself and as an official they can remain involved in the game.

Those at the highest level can take part in FA Cup Finals at Wembley or even take to the global stage by officiating in the World Cup , something that can’t be achieved as a player.

The SRA plays an important role in moulding young officials and they offer advise , support and knowledge throughout their careers.

Geoff predicts a bright future for the SRA “ We have a good committee in place and exciting plans for the months to come which well give our members the best possible chance of reaching the top”

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the SRA which meets every 3rd Monday of the month should get in touch via the website.